S Jaishankar's Pakistan visit: India has ruled out any bilateral talks with Pakistan during the two-day SCO summit and will only focus on issues within the framework of the bloc. This is the first visit by an Indian external affairs minister to Pakistan in 9 years

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be in Pakistan on Tuesday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, marking the first such visit from India to its neighbour in nine years due to strained ties between New Delhi and Islamabad.

The two-day meeting will focus on ongoing cooperation in areas such as the economy, trade, environment, and socio-cultural linkages, while also reviewing the SCO's performance.

Pakistan took over the rotating chair of the SCO CHG, the second-highest forum within the organization, for the 2023-24 term during the previous meeting held in Bishkek in October 2023.

Upon landing in Islamabad for the summit, Jaishankar is expected to attend a banquet reception hosted by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to welcome the attendees from the SCO member countries. Both sides have ruled out any possibility of formal bilateral talks between India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan's counterpart Ishaq Dar but casual conversation, like with other delegates, is likely to happen.

"The 23rd Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) will be held on 16 October 2024 in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Pakistan. The SCO CHG meeting is held annually and focuses on the trade and economic agenda of the Organization. EAM Dr. S Jaishankar will represent India at the meeting. India remains actively engaged in the SCO format, including various mechanisms and initiatives within the SCO framework," MEA said in a statement ahead of the visit.

SCO meeting schedule and details

The two-day SCO meeting will see talks on cooperation in sectors of economy, trade, environment and socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organisation till now.

Besides Jaishankar, the participants would be Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Tajik Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda, Uzbek PM Abdulla Aripov, Kyrgyzstan's Chairman of the Ministers Cabinet Akylbek Zhaparov, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref.

(With Inputs From Agencies)